Blast from the Past
By Darwin Alar
HTF Contributor
Batman (1943) - 15 Chapter Serial - Columbia Pictures
Batman was a 15 chapter serial released in 1943 by Columbia Pictures. The serial starred Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin. J. Carrol Naish played the villain, an original character named Dr. Daka. The plot is based on Batman, a US government agent, attempting to defeat the Japanese agent Dr. Daka, at the height of World War II. It was directed by Lambert Hillyer.
The film is notable for being the first filmed appearance of Batman and for providing two core elements of the Batman mythos. The film introduced “The Bat’s Cave” and the Grandfather clock entrance. The name was altered to the Batcave in the comic. William Austin had a trim physique and sported a thin mustache. The contemporary comic Alfred was overweight and cleanshaven prior to this serial’s release. The comic’s version of Alfred was altered to match that of Austin’s. This is the way he is usually portrayed now. The popularity of a re-release for this serial in the 1960’s, called An Evening with Batman and Robin, directly led to the Batman television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward.
Throughout the month of March, air times on Public Access Channel 7:
Parts 1-4, Fri. at 10 A.M. Parts 5-10, Sat. at 10 A.M. Parts 11-15, Sun. at 10 A.M. Approx. running time: 90 minutes each.
